(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a branch connector, and more particularly to a branch connector for branch connections of a wire cord to a male connector and a female connector, the branch connector including socket type contact parts and plug type contact parts through which the male and female connectors are connected.
(2) Description of the Related Art
First, a description will be given of a conventional branch connector with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. In FIGS. 1 and 2, a branch connector 50 generally has a socket mold 12, a plug mold 14, and a cover member 16. In the socket mold 12 a plurality of socket type contact parts 20 are fitted, and these parts 20 are to be connected to or disconnected from a plurality of plug type contact parts of a male connector which is one mating connector for the branch connector 50. In the plug mold 14 a plurality of plug type contact parts 30 are fitted, and these parts 30 are to be connected to or disconnected from a plurality of socket type contact parts of a female connector which is the other mating connector for the branch connector 50. The cover member 16 is arranged so as to enclose the socket mold 12 and the plug mold 14, and the contact parts 20 in the socket mold 12 and the contact parts 30 in the plug mold 14 are separated from each other by a given distance along a longitudinal axis of the branch connector 50.
The cover member 16 is made up of a front upper portion, a front lower portion, a rear upper portion and a rear lower portion, and the cover member 16 can be divided into there four portions. A sidewise projecting portion 22 is formed on a side surface of the cover member 16, and a cord 19 including several bundled wires (not shown) is inserted into the projecting portion 22. Within the branch connector 50, the wires of the cord 19 are connected to a plurality of crimped portions of the contact parts 20 in the socket mold 12.
As shown in FIG. 2, in the branch connector 50, the socket type contact parts 20 and the plug type contact parts 30 are electrically connected to each other by soldering. Lines extended from the terminals of the contact parts 20 and lines extended from the terminals of the contact parts 30 are joined by soldering, which enables the electric connection between the contact parts 20 and 30.
FIG. 3 shows a conventional branch connector including another means for enabling the electric connection between the contact parts described above, which is different from the branch connector shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. In FIG. 3, the parts which are the same as corresponding parts in FIGS. 1 and 2 are designated by the same reference numerals, and a description thereof will be omitted. In a branch connector 60 in FIG. 3, a printed circuit board 65 is arranged within the connector 60, and the terminals of the contact parts 20 and the terminals of the contact parts 30 are separately joined to the printed circuit board 65 by soldering, thereby enabling the electric connection between the contact parts 20 and the contact parts 30.
Therefore, in order to produce the branch connector described above in the assembly line, it is necessary to perform the soldering to join the terminals of the contact parts 20 and the terminals of the contact parts 30 (or to join the terminals of the contact parts 20 and 30 and the printed circuit board 65). The assembling operation for the above branch connector becomes somewhat complicated and time-consuming due to the soldering step. Thus, the manufacturing cost relating to the above branch connector becomes unnecessarily high, and the quality level of the products becomes unstable.